NDDC Board President Discusses Community Expectations Recommendations to City Council on KYMN Radio

NDDC Board President, organizational founder, and two-time Mayor of Northfield, Keith Covey, appeared on Jeff Johnson’s KYMN Radio Show to discuss the NDDC’s “community expectations” recommendations to the City Council.

Covey concluded his remarks by saying,

“Our aim is to bring the community together around values that we believe nearly everyone shares: a downtown that is clean and well maintained and where mutual respect, safety, pedestrian friendliness are part of the culture.”

The draft of the document appears below:

NORTHFIELD DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS

FOR THOSE WHO LIVE, WORK OR VISIT DOWNTOWN NORTHFIELD

Downtown Northfield aspires to be a place where people are courteous, respectful and friendly and take pride in the appearance of Downtown’s public and private spaces; residents, workers and visitors take an active role in creating and maintaining a neighborhood that is fun, vibrant, positive and healthy and embrace cultural, ethnic and religious diversity.

To foster the kind of place we seek, people who live, work, play and visit Downtown Northfield have the responsibility to help create and maintain:

CLEANLINESS

A neighborhood that is clean, attractive and well-maintained. We maintain our neighborhood so that sidewalks and streets are free of litter, graffiti and urine; public walkways and street furniture are kept in good repair and trash receptacles are emptied promptly as necessary. Property owners maintain the streets, sidewalks and areas adjacent to their homes and businesses. Individuals who litter, including tossing cigarette butts onto the sidewalk or street or failing to clean up after their pets, will receive citations from law enforcement officers.

RESPECT FOR OTHERS

A neighborhood where individuals behave in a manner that respects the rights of others to enjoy our public spaces. We respect the right of others to be free of behaviors that undermine our enjoyment of public space, such as music blaring from boom boxes and cars, car tires squealing, foul language and derogatory comments hurled at passers-by, spitting and public urination and the unauthorized consumption of alcohol in public spaces. We also respect the property of both private and public entities.

SAFETY

A neighborhood that appears safe and is, in fact, safe for everyone. We work with and support the efforts of the Northfield Police Department, the Rice County Attorney’s Office and others in the criminal justice system to enforce and prosecute the law and our Community Expectations. We all participate in making Downtown safe by calling 911 to report emergencies and crimes in action and 645-4475 to report non-emergency matters and willingly participate in safety programs in our buildings, on our blocks and throughout Downtown.

PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLINESS

A neighborhood that encourages pedestrian movement throughout its streets and walkways. We aspire to have walkways that are friendly to pedestrians and where individuals move unimpeded. We refuse direct financial support to individuals who panhandle on the streets and sidewalks of Downtown or refuse to tolerate those who intentionally block or otherwise impede the public’s free movement. Property owners maintain their sidewalks and curbs so that they are free of debris, ice and snow.